I appologize for the quick post, wi-fi is touch-n-go on the Lido Deck.

Over the last month or so I have been testing out the Nikon D5000. For me, it is a great back-up camera as well as a light travel companion. If you are looking to upgrade to a digital SLR, or wanting to get started in photography, this camera is a great option. In order to complete the review I thought it would be interesting to hand it off to my wife for a trip up to Alaska. She has the eye of a photographer, but lacks the patience to deal with all the various dials and settings. So I put the camera in program mode, set the auto ISO, and put her in front of grizzlies, glaciers, whales, moose, and mountains. You will see other images from her portfolio in the final review. For now I thought I would share this one. No question about it, she didn’t let this one get away!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D5000
Nikkor 70-300 AFS VR

Processing Notes:

Capture – 1 image
Nik Silver Efex Pro – B&W conversion
Sized for web
Nik Sharpener 2.0 – Display 30% selective to tail
LightAsMagic.com

That Anchorage Museum exceeded all my expectations. We visited it while wait for our Motor Coach (bus) to take us south to pick up our ship. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but one thing I wasn’t expecting was full gallery dedicated to HDR photography. Pretty darn progressive! I wonder if we will ever see an HDR image in Nat Geo? If you are ever in the Anchorage area, make sure you stop by the museum. The architecture alone was worth the visit.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Processing Notes:

Capture – 7 images @ 1ev
Photomatix 4 – HDR/Tonemapping
Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 – ProContrast
Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 – Touch of some glamour glow
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

No kidding, this was the neighborhood grocery store where we were staying at in Bordeaux. If this was my local grocery store, I don’t think I would ever keep anything in the pantry at home. I would visit it everyday, shoot some photos, and grab a piece of fruit and coffee on my way to work. In the evening, this hub of commerce flashed back to the days of the Salon when the local youth would come out to enjoy the surrounding cafes and discuss the day’s topics. It was the heart of the neighborhood, and just the down the street from our hotel.

Travel Guides: When I get back from visiting a town, I try to put together a quick travel guide that usually includes a map of photo locations and a quick list of things to do, places to eat, and where to stay. You can find all my travel guides, including the Unofficial Definitive Guide to Cozumel, over here:

http://www.lightasmagic.com/travel/

I hope to be publishing my guide to France very soon. Stay tuned!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Processing Notes:

I have forgotten what the exact details of the post-processing were, but it was a 9 image (@ 1ev) –> HDR/ToneMapped in Photomatix 4 (I think??) –> and to get the dreamy quality I use Nik Color Efex Pro’s Glamour Glow filter mixed in about 30%.

Sorry for the lack of details.

Sorry for the quick post, but I am spending a bit more time behind the camera this week than the computer. I hope the new images next week will be worth it. The lesson I learned from this image…be courteous and honest with security guards when photographing private property and they might let you photograph a fertilizer plant.

I had big plans for this image. I love making images that contain captivating light and massive reflective surfaces. If you have ever visited Denver, you know the Denver Performing Arts Center (DCPA) fits the bill quite nicely. One thing I didn’t account for was it being closed. I’m not sure why I thought it was open to the public at night? It must be the Utopian in me……

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Sigma 15mm Fisheye
Gitzo Traveler

Processing Notes:
Capture (7 Images @ 1EV)
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Noiseware – noise reduction (landscape profile)
Nik Color Efex Pro – ProContrast
Photoshop – Global Vibrancy Boost
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

This is another image from my visit to the local rail yard last year. You can see a previous composition from the same location here. It was one of those days where I knew I was going to pass something interesting on and errand, so I decided I would grab my gear and tack on 30mins to my commute. I wonder how much memory my brain is wasting trying to efficiently plan photo errands? I should formalize a documentation strategy so I can save space for things like remembering to mow the lawn.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Processing Notes:
Capture (9 Images @ 1EV)
NX2 Raw Conversion
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Nik Define 2.0 – Noise reduction
Photoshop – Global curves adjustment
Photoshop – selective Desat adjustment
Size for web
LightAsMagic.com

I just want to take a second to thank everyone who visits here on a regular basis. LightAsMagic.com is now over a year old and growing everyday. I always appreciate the feedback from those out in the community. I hope to add some new features and content this year that will benefit everyone. If you like the photography, the adventure, or both please pass along the site to others who might enjoy a bit of levity in their day. I can’t spread the word without you. In honor of this milestone, I thought I would take a look back at the very first post from July 31, 2009.

iPhoneography: I have a BIG iPhone Friday planned for next week. Let’s just hope the weather cooperates!

Reviews: Every now and again, if I have used a piece of gear or software long enough, I will take the time to write a review of it. I just added a review of my DX workhorse lens, the Nikon 16-85 VR II. If you are looking for a great all around DX lens, check out my review here. Some of my favorite photos from this lens are included.

Songs For Post Processing: August’s play list is here! Just click the image below and let iTunes do its thing. I hope you like the new tunes.

When I first starting using the Nikon 45mm PC-E, the doors of creativity were first shrunk, then busted wide open! I really couldn’t get enough of the creative possibilities that this lens had to offer. Not only are you able to control the depth of field, you can actually control where the plane of focus is within your composition. I hope you are enjoying this lens as much as I am, if not, please bear with me as I wean myself off of it….hang in there, it shouldn’t be too long.

It seems like summer is just getting started. The calendar tells me it is over halfway gone. We are trying our best to take advantage of what summer has left to offer. No better way than an evening hike in the hills near our house. As you know, I have been putting the Nikon D5000 through its paces, and I am pretty darn surprised by it. If you can get over the fact that it has only one command dial and get used to doing your adjustments in the menu system, you have yourself a very capable camera. One thing that I have been wanting to test is the exposure bracketing feature. The D5000 will only allow 3 brackets, but the nice thing is you can bracket by 2 full stops. 2 stops is usually enough for most of my HDR work. For very high contrast scenes (think super bright light out the window of a room) you need more than 2 stops on either side of the anchor. However, for most of my bracket sequences, the D5000 is proving to be a great companion.

For the non-photographers out there, that interested in knowing more about this ‘photographer speak’, feel free to drop me a line. I would be happy to help you get started making images!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D5000
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Processing Notes:

Capture – 3 images @ 2ev
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Photoshop – Global curves adjustment
Nik Color Efex Pro – Soft Focus (experimenting a bit with it for that dreamy look)
Photoshop – Selective saturation boost
Photoshop – Selective saturation cut
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com